Taking the Bait
by Nosferatank
Summary: Brigid was aware that her trainee had some unusual figures keeping their eyes on him. The Third herself had a personal interest in him, after all. But even she was gaping at the sight of the Seventh Progenitor sitting on a cushioned chair requisitioned from who-knows-where, acting like he owned the training deck that she and Mikaela had entered.


**Vampires have a very very different view on sexuality, considering they are a species of asexual people. Though romantic relationships are common, the thought of having sex with one's partner(s) is rare and usually not openly practiced. Sexual relations with humans is regarded much the same as beastiality is to us: physically repulsive and incomprehensibly immoral.**

Brigid was aware that her trainee had some unusual figures keeping their eyes on him. The Third herself had a personal interest in him, after all. But even she was gaping at the sight of the Seventh Progenitor sitting on a cushioned chair requisitioned from who-knows-where, acting like he owned the training deck that she and Mikaela had entered.

Recollecting herself, Brigid gave Ferid the shallowest bow she could get away with, greeting him curtly.

"Lord Bathory. What brings you here?"

"Ah, just here to check up on an old acquaintance." he said with an easy smile, sharp and predatory around the edges.

Brigid didn't miss the sudden tenseness in her fourteen-year-old apprentice's shoulders, or the smell of old fear, personal fear, leaking off of him.

"Just do not disturb our lesson, if you don't mind." Brigid grunted, barely skimming the razor-edge between prioritizing a queen's orders over a lower noble's and disrespecting a Progenitor outright.

Ferid simply grinned easily back, sinking back into his chair, swirling his wineglass of blood around, and Brigid wondered once again how the hell he got all of this onto the deck. Pointedly, she ignored the noble and turned back to her tense student, tossing him the blunted practice weapon and frowning when she noticed the jerky quality his movements held.

Brigid had a rough idea as to why Mikaela seemed so off today.

Still, she was adamant in keeping him focused on her instead of the noble lurking on the edge. Brigid did her best to keep herself between Ferid and Mikaela with Ferid always within Mikaela's sight, knowing that not being able to see the vampire behind her would put her apprentice even more on edge than if he was blind to Bathory's movements. Ferid's constant circling and probing gaze did not help in the least.

After Mikaela took yet another hit to the ribs from the flat of Brigid's blade she sighed in defeat.

"Alright Hyakuya, give it here. You're obviously having an off day today, just train in private if you can." she said, taking the blunted sword and entering the closet to store it.

When she exited the room, Brigid saw the Seventh far closer than comfortable to Mikaela, moving to take a playful swat at his hind end.

Brigid didn't even need to think about her course of action, Odin knew that she prioritized her comrades over a noble who just moved into the city a number of decades ago and had yet to prove his martial prowess, whether through honorable combat or battle outside the city walls.

The captain was far faster than Ferid's languid movements, shoving her trainee beside her, slightly to her left. Mikaela hissed like a snake, draped beneath her cloak, and Brigid felt rather like Beowulf's dragon must have, with its hoard tucked under-wing and the deceptively strong figure standing before her.

Ferid seemed to take no outward offense, though one brow quirked in a faintly menacing manner.

"My apologies, my lord, but you seem to be distracting my student. The queen ordered him to be trained to the best of my abilities, and I'm afraid her orders take precedence over your observations." Brigid stated, frostily polite.

"Oh that's too bad, isn't it? Perhaps I can visit later, dear Mika?" he probed.

Before Mikaela could open his mouth and say something foolish, Brigid interjected "Sorry, he's busy. For the next five centuries or so."

"Now, if you'll excuse us." Brigid said, not even sparing Ferid a look as she swept out of the room, stubbornly keeping Mikaela tucked beneath her cloak and out of Ferid's leer. Though the child was clearly enraged, he was also trembling finely. Brigid was no fool. She could connect the dots.

It was whispered amongst the lower gossips, that Lord Bathory enjoyed drinking his prey with the scent of pure terror in the air. It was spread, amongst the more careless vampires, that he favored… human methods of keeping his food in their place, keeping his blood tasting rich with adrenaline and fear. It was not uncommon so see one of Ferid's personal servants delivering gifts to a livestock household, the humans answering the door stinking of venom and other fluids. The noble very much preferred children, as well.

Brigid knew of Mikaela's previous station. It was all too easy to know his connection with Bathory.

Instead of letting him go at the commons, Brigid led Mikaela directly to his dorm, knowing that he must be reliving something repulsive and painful for him to resign himself to what Pogo called the "Cap's brand of mother-henning". She pulled her cape off of him with a faint rustle, and looked him straight in the eye.

"He ever comes back and tries to pull that kind of shit with you." Brigid growled "Get away and come get me. If I'm not available, stick to Tora, she's not afraid to break some limbs."

Mikaela's eyes widened. His mouth opened, then closed, before silently nodding and fleeing to his room. It was finally starting to smell like him in here, Brigid noted. She had thought he remained mostly scentless for far to long into his growth, and was glad to see it rectified.

At the moment, though, she had business at the palace.

Brigid's purposeful stride assured that she was uninterrupted on her way to Lady Krul's domain. Frankly, she was taking a marginal risk, here: Brigid was weighing on both the Third Progenitor's investment in Mikaela and her widely-known disgust towards the Seventh. Hopefully she was in a particularly spiteful mood towards Bathory today.

Brigid nodded to the palace guards as they bowed to her, opting not to question her in her obvious haste. She approached the wide doors to the queen's throne room, opening them with not even a creak from the hinges. She silently stepped down the crimson carpet, and kneeled before the petite vampire perched on her throne.

"My lady, I bow before you in request of a boon." Brigid's voice echoed through the high stone ceilings.

"Your request may be granted, should it be reasonable, Lord Captain." Krul responded, signaling the beginning of negotiations.

Brigid took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "I would request that Lord Bathory be denied access to the barracks. He has been distracting and harassing my guards, hindering their work and training, and thus becoming an obstacle in my execution of Your Ladyship's orders."

Krul's resulting laugh was tinkling and sharp, like the razor shards of sleet. Brigid tensed, thinking she had fatally misstepped, but the queen continued.

"Oh, thank you, my dear captain. I've been looking for an excuse to keep that fool in line for a long time now. Your boon is granted, with pleasure."

Krul's eyes gleamed, the depths of her gaze showing immense age. "Should he violate his new boundaries, send him to me. It would be my pleasure to dissuade him from disobeying me."

Brigid bowed once again, murmuring her gratitude, and took her leave, shaking slightly. She heard that the highest Progenitors exuded a pressure that forced others to their knees, and while Brigid found the rumors to be highly exaggerated, the smell of power from old nobles was downright terrifying. Still, this had been a rewarding risk, as she gained some modicum of favor from the queen and preserved the health of her apprentice.

Brigid hoped, viciously, that Lady Krul would find a good excuse to exact her punishment on Ferid, though it would never truly ease the acts he had inflicted on Mikaela.

 **Ferid has so little respect because he only moved to the city a few decades ago, and hadn't proved his skill in battle except against human children. He's pretty much doing the vampire noble equivalent of squatting at the palace, honestly.**

 **Ferid is also a terrifyingly accurate example of child sexual abusers and as such gives me the jeebies like nothing else**


End file.
